The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1887-09-30
HER SACRIFICE.
The Old, Old Story OF Woman's
Devotion to Man,

1t was only after considerable in
quiry that / found a conveyance to
take me to my destinatiOn-the little
village of M, up among the mount
aims had been employed to superin-
tend the construction of a large saw
mill, and the making of other neces-
sa1.v arran gements for the manufacture
and shipping of lumber in the almost
limitless pine woods of that region.
was already far from railroad COM
munication, and il was but twelve miles
farther to the last town on my route
but the scene of my labor was several
miles beyond that, and the vehicle in
which I found myself seated was any
thing but a comfortable one. The snow
drifted in through the tapping cur
tains, as we jolted along, sometimes
dangerously near to a yawning gulf, or
climbing labOriOusly over an interyen-
ing ridge.
About four o'clock we arrived at the
village, and drew up at the dilapidated
little inn. Without loss of time, en-
tered the Office, which contained a bar,
and in which a few men were sitting
idly around an old stove, smoking and
chatting. A slatternly woman stood at
the window, picking her teeth with a
broom-straw, and staring alternately
at the men and at the snow-covercd
mOuntain-side.
care you the new superintendent al
the campo" asked the landlord, taking
my coat and valise.
YES" answered.
"Well, thought so. You can't dc
much lumberin' now, kin you? This
is the back ardest spring i ever knOwed
The men'll be down tonight, if they
kin git down, for they can't do any
thing for q week now, any how. j
the men a-cOmin', LucindyP Lucindy
is the men a-comin ?" shouted thu
speaker in her ears, for "Lucindy' haC
fallen into n fit of staring, and had evi
IDENTITY not heard the question; but sh,
now reused up, and said they wer
''a-comin' over the North Divide"
/ looked toward the window fror
where l sat, and through the top pan
could see a line of dim objects, which
soon discovered to be men, filing dow
through the snow on the mOuntain-sid
some distance away. In a short tim
they came struggling into the villag,
when l learned that most of them live
in their own homes, while n few boar,
ed at the tavern where 1 then was, {
with their fellow-workmen.
well, you're all back alive, n
you?" said one of the idlers to the fir
who came in.
'All but Holder" he answered. It
couldn't come, unless we'd a. carrie
him, and we want likely TO do tina
rs we had all we could do to carry on
selves. He's in pretty bad shape t
day, he is. And if it SHOWS all night
can't come in the morning, neithe
Why, there's drifts now higher'n
mans head, and it all looks alike I
there. You can't follow the path no.
Why, Howells tried to lead comi
down, and he got lost four or fl
times"
Having delivered himself of Il
speech the speaker placed a chair f
himself to sit i'm, but before sittii
down he raised one fore6nger iowa
the crowd. and, shutting one eye, sai
Il tell you my opinion is he'd bett
let it alone. If couldn't take lit
once in awhile, and then stop,
list quit square of. What sense is the
i'm taking it along, especially by {
iupful at timeP don't mind a mal
takin' n bottle; we all do that sol
times; but jug-that' going il lit
too strong. Moderate drinkin' do
hurt no man. l know it don't hurt n
and / don't believe il hurts anybody
Here the woman at the window turn
and looked at the speaker, sitting tn
i'm his thin. worn clothes and hat full
holes. From him her eyes wander
10 the pinched face of n little b
standing near, whose shoes We're &
and about two sizes too large for hi
suggesting that they had been given
him by some charitably inclined pers
She evidently considered that
man and his child might be bet
clothed, even if he was not "hurt
what he spent for drink; but she v
the bar-kecper's wife, and did not E
utterance to her thoughts, whatc
they were.
Here the landlord, whose name '
Roscoe. stopped the rather contra'
tory statement of the other by sayi
Maybe you'd better not talk
much, Jerry. You didn't know
new superintendent was here.
you?'
This silenced him for n nome
while he looked at me; but ne s.
began again, first in lower tone q
before. and then louder, talking mo
to the others. At length. turning
me. he said, in an apologize way:
'.You see. this man we were talb
about is all right only be imbib,
little too much for his own good.
a good hand, though, and good
chauic for all that
.Does the company allow the
TO drink while at work?' asked.
..Wan, the boss didn't like it, bu
long as we tended 10 business,
were all right; he didn't say notl
He did say once, though, that "
the new mill and new landn'
workin', that he wanted new ways
new hands. or somethin' 10 that eff
but we treated that more rs
than any thing else. The truth
took little himself and couldn' {
much. " and Jerry laughed at wha
considered a joke on his boss.
When it had grown so dark that
candles and lamps had been hghtC
Young servant-girl, somewhat
tdyleQking than the woman Waa